Circuit-closer.



G. A. CASTLE.

CIRUUIT'OLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED 1:20.19, 1911.

1,040,883. Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

B SHEETSSHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS C. A. CASTLE.

GIROUIT CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED 1356.19, 1911. 1,G40,883. Patented 00t.8,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET WITNESSES NYE/ TOR 142 24;: 14 I 55/ 2 M j 7 ff 4 I zy x x624) I mamas;

. citizen of the United States,

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

CLYDE a. ensue, or 01.1mm, scum naxora.

tlOIl.

My invention relates generally to circuit closers and more particularly it relates to a device which, while capable-of general application, is especially adapted for use in connection with telegraph circuits.

The principal object of m invention is to PIOVldQ a new and improve form of circuit closing device adapted to be connectedacross the lines of a telegraph circuit at a station whereby, if the key within the station should be left open or a plug between the key and the connections to the circuit closer be removed, thereby opening. the line, the device Wlll be actuated by means of a local circuit in order to close the line.

A'further object of the invention is to provide a circuit closer of new and im roved construction comprising a number 0 mov-' able contacts and a number of fixed contacts adapted to be brought into electrical connection with each other, the said contacts being connected to the lines of telegraph circuits, there being a suitable electro-magnetic device for actuating mechanical means wherebythe before-mentioned contacts are engaged so that if any of the lines should be open in the station the device will operate to close them, thereby permitting messages to-be sent over the lines.

Other objects and advantages of themvention will appear as the description thereof ,proceeds,'all of which is particularly pointed out and included in the appended claims. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure l is a side view of the circuit closer; Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view thereof on the line of Fig. 1: Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view, showing the wiring diagram of a telegraph station embodying three circnits with three keys and three rela s.

lhe circuit closing device comprises a suit- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 19, 1911.

cmcuxr-onosnn.

Patented Oct. 8,1912. Serial No. 666,655.

able base 1 having uprights 2 thereon car rying adjustable bearings 3 between which a spindle 4 is adapted to be movably carried, the spindle being provided at one side thereof with a number of contacting fingers 5, 5}, 5, carried on suitable pieces of insulation whereby they are out of electrical contact with the splndle. Suitably supported adjacent the lower ends of the fingers 5?, 5", 5, is 'amember 6 having a.1.1umber of contacting points 7 thereon, which are adapted to be placed in electrical contact with the fingers 5", 5, 5, when the spindle is turned a suitable distance, the member 6 being con- 'veniently carried by the upright 2'.

Suitably secured at a'convenient point on the device is an electro-magnet 8 having terminals 9 thereon adapted to be placed in suitable batterycommunication with a through movable cont-acts, there bein a movable armature 10 adjacent the pole lace of the electro-magnet, the armature being carried on alever ll pivotally secured at 12' to the spindle 4 whereby the armature may move closely to or remote from the pole face.- In order to adjust the range of movement of the lever 11, thereby preventing the armature from moving out of thefield of influence of the pole, a suitable device is employcd which may consist of a fixed arm '13 having an adjustable screw 14 at its lower end which limits the left-hand position of the lever 11, the lever being held in engage- -ment with the end of this screw through the medium. of a helical spring 15, one end of which is secured to an ad ustabIe screw 16, the other end of-which is secured at 17 to the lever 11. It is to be noted that the lever 11 may partake of a pendulum-like movement about the support 12 through the influence of the magnet 8 on the armature 10, it being also noted that any turning of the spindle a will also cause the lever 11 to move in a plane at aright angle to the plane of the said pendulum-like movement.

Referring particularly to Fig, 2 it will .be noted that a worm gear-'20 is suitably supported at one end by a bearing 21 carried on the base 1, the other end of the gear being in operative engagement with any suitable means whereby it may be turned, the said means preferably comprising a clockwork or other actuating device 22. On the lower pitch asthe threads on the worm gear 20 whereby they are adapted to mesh with each other.

contact in the figure-and the said contacts Referring particularly to F ig. 4 which is typical of the wiring of a. telegraph station having three lines entering therein it will be noted tha, each of these lines is designated A, 'B, C, the keys D, E, F, are included within tnese lines, together with relays Gr,

H, J; suitable plugs or lightning arresters K may tie included in each of the lines it so desired lit will be noted that each' of the relay s or equivalent devices G, H. J, com-- prises a fixed contact a, together with amovable contact I), each of these parts being in the electro-magnet being connected together through a wire f. From one of the wires of the line A a conductor h is run to one of the resistance is. Similarly one wire of each of,

contact fingers 5 on the circuit closer, the fixed contact 7 adapted to engage with the movable contact 5 being connected to the other wire of the line A through a suitable the lines B, C, is connected to the movable contacts 5', 5, the fixed contacts 7 adapted to make electrical connection'with these movable, contacts being connected to the other wires of these lines through suit-able resistances M, N.

Sincea telegraph circuit is a closed one it is essential that the stations along any line have the keys thereon closed when mes sages are not being sent, the o ening of any key opening the whole line and thereby put- .ting it entirely out of commission. The pur pose of my circuit closing device is to pre vent the opening of a line for any length of time through the failure to close the key, or by reason of any movable contact or plug dropping accidentally p'fIOIIl place, the operation thereof being substantially as follows.

The clock orother actuating device 22 on the circuit closing device is continuous in its operation, that is, is running all the time, the worm gear 20 thereby constantly turning; now, if the key D in the line A is left open, the flow of current through the relay G will stop, the movable contact Z) thereby coming into engagement with the fixed con tact a and closing the circuit through the electro;magnet 8 of the circuit closer whereby current from the battery 6 will energize the core of the magnet, the armature 10 being attracted thereto, the lever 11 being also moved whereby the worm screw 23 at the lower end thereof comes into engagement with the worm gearQO; since this Worm gear is constantly turning, the engagement between the worm screw and the gearv will move the lever 11 to the rear of Fig. l,

thereby turning the spindle 4- and bringing the movable contactin fingers 5 5", 5, into 1 any of the plugs K or e uivalent devices fall out of place the line wil be interrupted only for a short period until the worm gear20 can move the lever 11 in order'vto bring the contacting fingers 5 5", 5, to closed position, in which case the lines are again in operative relation. It is to be noted that at the left end of the worm gear 20 (Fig. 2)'

is a removed portion 50, the length of such removed portion being substantially equal to the width of the worm screw 23 so that when the screw has advanced to the left through movement of the gear it will come into engagement with such removed portion, thereby allowing the worm gear further turning without damage to the parts by reaj son of the engagement or otherwise.

Each key D, E, or F, andeach relay G, H, or J, comprises an appreciable resistance to the flow of the'current therethrough and in order to provide for normal operation of the line with the circuit closing device the resistances M, N'and K are determined with respect to the resistance of the keys and the relays; since each of these resistances is in multiple with a single relay and key in each line eflicient operation of each line requires that the current divide in such proportions that in the event of using the key and the relay in transmitting messages that the cur rent phss through the key and relay and not throi gh the resistance; also that in the event of any of the keysD, E, and F, being closed miter having been accidentally left open that tht losingmf such key will permit the curr nt-to tlowth'rough either of the relays G, H, and K," and not continue through any of the resistancep M, N, or K, so that the circuitclosiiig device may return to inoperative position when such key is\closed. It is to be noted that ifn\a line comprising a number of stations each of which is provdded with a circuit closer ,operable through a local bat- I ter'y, opening of t'e line in any stat-ion Wlll cause the circuit 0 osers in each station to act, consequent -closing of the line returning each of the relays to inoperative position reason of the current then passing throu the keys and relaysrather than through t e resistances used with the circuit closer.

Of course the number'of circuits which the device is adapted to handle may be varied at will and the value of the resistance used with the device will depend upon particular conditions to be met, such changes being those of design and included within the spirit of the appended claims.

61254: 1 my inven'n cn 22b carried b; e s'pindk, an armature 011 m1 1 to secure by Let- V I screw on the 2'5 T a w the worm. a spring 1, A clrcult-cmsmp; device com v'ising a keeping vmrm 5 fixed e ieznen'ii n1 61136561 21ml an else-- ing (219111 31111 a fever .t'ian wiih 1119 said position, a cons? t1 she Worm ii:

01 he lever 21d b. m whereby the 18- whereby the .l He may :3 mowed, thereby 1 sonmc is eiements inn) decoi hely V 1; iron ag'net m H0 cure for ii'ioves spindle 25516 i1; fuming 4 .n"; on the said a1 W m1, an armature on the 18- 'i'ro nagnet for 'coiips 'ation Whe'feby, when the c0- 0; g .sknnent'on the lew-efengage-s the Quid lever Wiil move and with it 0! 1 w 0 e, wnereby fine sma contacomg e1eengage each other. A, 11.71 Whereofl have signe my engagem is speci 'catien in the pre ame of m hing Witnesses. 

